Here comes the judge(s): Congratulations to Nicole Rodarte, a partner in Casper & Rodarte, and Gary Jackson, a partner in DiManna & Jackson, on their appointment as Denver County Court judges. They’ll fill vacancies created by the January, 2013, retirement of judges Aileen Ortiz-White and Andrew Armatas.

Before entering private practice, where she focuses on criminal defense, Rodarte served for several years in the state Public Defender’s Office. A Denver native and graduate of John F. Kennedy High School, Rodarte serves on the PTA of Swigert International School in Stapleton.

Like Jackson, she earned her juris doctorate degree from the University of Colorado.

Jackson also is a Denver native (he graduated from George Washington High School) and has practiced law here for 42 years. He is a founder and past president of the Sam Cary Bar Association and serves on the boards of the Lowry Redevelopment Authority and Delta Eta Boule Foundation. He’s also a past chair of Northeast Denver Youth Services.

His current practice focuses on attorney regulation, judicial discipline, attorney reinstatement and readmission, Board of Law Examiner cases and judicial performance issues. He has also served in the Denver District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.

On the move

Once given just six months to live, double-lung transplant recipient Gavin Maitland proved his resiliency by running his first half-marathon in Saturday’s Rock ‘n Roll Denver Marathon. He was a member of the American Transplant Foundation‘s Team Transplant, running to raise awareness about the gift of life that results from organ donation … Devonne Marcove-Nations is now precious jewelry manager at Neiman Marcus Cherry Creek. She was director of the Fifth Avenue Club at Saks Fifth Avenue Cherry Creek until the store closed and then worked as sales and marketing director for Shanahan’s Steak House … Angela Della Salle, late of AMC Cancer Fund, has been named director of development/cancer research for the University of Colorado Foundation … Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt is now digital strategist for Montreux Energy.

Congratulations are in order

US News & World Report lists Ted Gelt as one of America’s top lawyers for 2013. The tax specialist is with Baker & Hostetler‘s Denver office and is one of 128 Baker attorneys so honored … Happy birthday to Debi Tepper’s mom, Goldie Ellensweig, who celebrated her 91st on Sept. 1 … Dhivya Senthil Murugan, a 7th-grader at The Challenge School in Arapahoe County, successfully spelled her way through 10 rounds of words to become the local champion of the Macy’s Spelling Bee. The winning word was “sovereignty.” Fifty students, ages 8 to 11, participated in the contest held at Macy’s Park Meadows on Sept. 15. The bee is held in partnership with Reading is Fundamental® and each of the 27 regional champions receive an iPad, a $100 Macy’s gift card, a tutoring scholarship from Kaplan and an online gift card from Scholastic.

A private home in Orinda, Calif., was the setting Saturday for the wedding of Denverites Jill Hodges and Rob Moreno. John Gidding, an architect and actor who hosted HGTV’s “Designed to Sell” and is now the architect/designer for “Curb Appeal,” was the officiant.

She is a graphic artist, whose work includes designs for Peace Maker American Whiskey, and this is where it gets cool: The wedding favors that guests received were specially labeled, miniature bottles from the Denver-based distillery.

Moreno, flanker for the Denver Barbarians rugby team, is also director of development for Wyndham.

Among those traveling west for the ceremony were Kasia and David MacLeod, Brandis and Steve Pelletier, Michelle and Jim Cottrell; Lee Stiffler-Meyer; Joseph Reese; Georgia Gallagher and Donna Montgomery.